Catherine Cuddy's Blog

A relocation budget is a must-have for those who recently bought or sold a house. If you have a relocation budget at your disposal, you should have no trouble getting ready for moving day.

Ultimately, there are several factors that you need to consider to craft an effective relocation budget. These factors include:

1. Packing Supplies

Moving boxes, packing tape and other packing supplies may prove to be expensive. If you budget for these costs today, you can ensure you have the funds available to cover these expenses before moving day arrives.

Keep in mind that you may be able to pick up unwanted cardboard boxes from grocery stores, too. By doing so, you can get boxes you can use for moving day and reduce your relocation expenses.

2. Personal Belongings

Think about the personal belongings you will need to bring to your new address. That way, you can make the necessary accommodations to guarantee these items can safely make it from Point A to Point B.

If you need to hire a moving company to help you transport your personal belongings to your new home, you should shop around. This will allow you to find a moving company that offers the perfect combination of affordability and convenience.

Furthermore, if you have various belongings you no longer need, you may want to get rid of these items before you move. You can always donate unwanted items to a local charity or give them to family members or friends. Or, you can sell unwanted items online or host a yard sale.

3. Your Relocation Timeline

You may have only a limited amount of time to relocate from one address to another. If you put together a relocation timeline, you can examine the steps you will need to take to complete a successful move. Then, you can incorporate these steps into your moving plan and budget accordingly.

Of course, for those who need to relocate quickly but lack substantial moving day funds, you may want to reach out to family members and friends for assistance. Remember, your loved ones are available to help you in any way they can. If you contact family members and friends for assistance prior to moving day, you may receive lots of help with your move.

If you want an extra hand with moving day preparations and budgeting, you may want to consult with a real estate agent as well. In addition to helping you buy or sell a house, a real estate agent is happy to provide tips to ensure you can seamlessly relocate to a new address.

Oftentimes, a real estate agent can put you in touch with the top moving companies in your area. On the other hand, if you have concerns or questions leading up to a house closing, a real estate agent is ready to address them.

Want to take the guesswork out of an upcoming move? Consider the aforementioned factors, and you can budget for moving day and boost the likelihood of enjoying a successful relocation.

Moving groceries is not the most ideal of situations. You’re left worrying about spoilage, spillage and, let’s be honest, having another thing to move. Lighten your moving day load by planning ahead of time so that you have little to nothing left in your fridge and pantry to take with you.

To do this well it’s important to start at least a month before the move. Start by cleaning everything out - the pantry, your fridge and your freezer chest if you have one. Get rid of everything that is expired, stale or you just aren’t going to eat.

Take inventory of what’s left and categorize this list much like you would when creating your grocery list. So categories could be: meats/proteins, frozen vegetables, toaster/microwave items, desserts, dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, sauces, condiments, and snacks.

Next, it’s time to get creative and meal plan around these ingredients supplementing with items from the store occasionally as needed. The idea though is to do as little shopping and use up as much as you can with your meals for the month ahead. If you feel stumped on how to use what you have on hand utilize recipe websites that can pull recipes based on the ingredients you input into their system.

Write down the meals you plan into your calendar or day planner. If you use an app for planning you can write down the recipe and set a reminder to it. Apps like Trello, Evernote and Asana are all free and perfect for this.

A few meal ideas:

Use ingredients to create items that are more stable, like baked goods, to take with you. Make homemade pizzas, soups, stews, salads, omelets and casseroles. The beauty of these types of dishes is the variety of ingredients you’re able to use in them. Be playful and make hybrid meals - spaghetti on pizza, taco omelets, a buffalo chicken rice bowl, french fries in a casserole (similar to hotdish, a Midwestern classic).

Hectic. Chaotic. Busy.

Moving week is many things, but there is one thing it is not - the time to cook elaborate or the creative dinners you’ve been eating throughout the month to use up items.

Plan this week well ahead of time, if not first, and make it all the easier by planning freezer meals you can just pull out and heat up.

Cooking items to keep out as you begin packing:

Salt and pepper

Cooking spray or oil

Spatula and a pan or two

A chef knife

A mixing bowl

Enough cutlery for everyone

Enough plates, cups, and bowls for everyone

Sponge and dish soap

By using up all your items as much as possible before the move you are creating the perfect opportunity to start over with your pantry. As you clean out items take note of what your tossing and steer clear of those when restocking or note to buy a smaller package to avoid future waste.

If you recently sold your house, you will need to move quickly to pack up your belongings and relocate to a new address. In addition, you probably will want to clean your house as much as possible prior to a homebuyer's final walk-through.

Fortunately, there are many quick, easy ways to clean a home before you move, including:

1. Straighten Up Your Home While You Pack

Home cleaning can be a long, arduous process, particularly for those who wait until the last minute to perform various home cleaning tasks. If you clean up after yourself while you prepare for your upcoming move, you can avoid the stress of completing extensive home cleaning right before moving day.

Wiping down home countertops, walls and ceilings usually is a great idea. By doing so, you can keep these spots clean while you plan for your move.

Also, don't forget to empty the attic and basement and remove dirt, dust and debris from these areas. This will ensure you can clean these areas once and for all before moving day arrives.

2. Remove All Clutter from Your Home

There is no reason to let clutter slow you down as you prepare for an upcoming move. Instead, clear out clutter immediately, and you can clean your home and reduce the number of items that you'll need to move to your new address.

Today, there are several ways to get rid of clutter. In many instances, you can sell excess items as part of a yard sale or online. Or, you can always donate these items to local charities or give them to friends or family members.

Regardless of what you decide to do with clutter, it is essential to remove clutter from your house as soon as you can. That way, you can cut down on clutter and increase the likelihood of a quick, seamless moving day experience.

3. Hire a Cleaning Company

Cleaning a home from top to bottom can be a lot of work. Plus, if you're already allocating significant amounts of time to packing for an upcoming move, you may lack the necessary time and energy to improve your house's interior and exterior.

Many home cleaning companies are available in cities and towns nationwide. These businesses employ friendly, highly trained professionals who are happy to help you clean your residence prior to moving day.

If you plan to hire a home cleaning company, don't wait to contact this business. Because the longer you wait to book a home cleaning company, the more likely it becomes that this business won't be able to accommodate your cleaning needs before you move.

Lastly, if you need help finding a cleaning company in your area, you can always consult with a real estate agent. This housing market professional can help you sell a home, as well as connect you with first-rate cleaning companies in any area, at any time.

Use the aforementioned tips, and you should have no trouble cleaning your house in the days leading up to your move.

When a house is sold, it’s generally expected that the seller will take all of their personal belongings along with them. This includes furniture, pictures, cleaning supplies, and appliances that weren’t included on the deal. This is all in the expectation that the buyer will have a clean property to move into.

If a seller does leave personal property behind, what are the rights of the buyer? Buyers may wonder if they can move in and actually take possession of the home if belongings have been left behind. There are a few reasons that buyers may leave property behind including:

The item is actually a fixture and not considered personal property

The item could belong to a tenant (or former tenant)

In these circumstances, each state determines different rights and procedures that must happen in order for the property to be secured without hassle by the buying party.

What If There’s So Much Stuff It Impedes On Moving In?

In the case that a seller has left so many things that a buyer cannot even comfortably move into the property, the contract may be refused. If there’s an inordinate amount of furniture, trash, and personal belongings, you certainly have a good argument to not sign the final contract for the property. Your rights as a buyer do, however, depend on what exactly was written into the purchase contract for the home you’re buying.

Hidden Items

If an item has been deemed hidden or buried, the buyers have a different circumstance on their hands. Many times, a buyer is obligated to hang onto these items for the seller. The items were not technically abandoned by the seller to the buyer. The buyer becomes what is called a “bailor,” or a keeper of the property, who needs to be an agent in the change of possession of the items.

Possession Unknown

If the ownership of an item is unknown, the terms of the contract are held up. Standard contracts generally state that any items left behind by the seller have been forfeited to the buyer. If the contract says nothing about personal property, the buyer generally takes on the role of “bailor” again in this instance.

If The Property Owner Has Died Or The Property Has Been Abandoned

If a property has been abandoned due to foreclosure or bankruptcy, or the property owner has died, any personal property that is left behind is a bit more of a risk for both parties. These circumstances generally state that a buyer will be taking on a property “as is” and essentially anything left is the buyer’s problem.

If a property owner has died, the executors generally take on the responsibility of removing items from the property to be distributed to the rightful beneficiaries. Occasionally, this process doesn’t work out due to family quarrels. In this case, personal property of the seller goes into the category of forfeiture.

Personal property is just one reason why you need to understand your legal rights when you’re buying a home.